Garment hanger

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to garment hangers, in particular a device for hanging garments on a chair, comprising supporting means for supporting the garment; and attaching means associated with the supporting means for engaging the device to the chair.

[0001] The present invention relates to garment hangers, in particular, garment hangers for jackets and coats.

[0002] Garment hangers vary in shape although those adapted for jackets and the like generally comprise a pair of arms joined together at one end and extending outwards from the joint. A suspension hook is usually provided extending upwards from the joint for supporting the hanger on a rail or a hook.

[0003] Typically, in work environments, provision is required for the hanging of articles of clothing, particularly jackets. Examples include coatstands, hooks, closets, wardrobes etc. These have generally proven to be satisfactory but they do suffer from the drawback of taking up much needed space, including wallspace. Furthermore, it is necessary for the user to leave their workstation and go to the particular location of the hanging device which can be troublesome. Hence, particularly in the case of jackets, there has been a tendency to place them on the back of the chair. Whilst this is very quick and easy, it can cause creasing or crumpling of the item of clothing when a person sits in the chair. Also, it is possible for the item of clothing to become damaged upon movement of the chair. This is accentuated in the case of swivel chairs and those mounted on some form of wheels, since the item of clothing may get caught up in the particular mechanisms.

[0004] An aim of the present invention is to provide a garment hanger for use in conjunction with a chair which overcomes one or more of the above-mentioned problems.

[0005] Thus according to the present invention, there is provided a device for hanging garments on a chair, comprising supporting means for supporting the garment; and attaching means associated with the supporting means for engaging the device to the chair.

[0006] Embodiments of the present invention, facilitate the use of such a device without requiring any modification to the chair, making the device cheap and easy to use.

[0007] Preferably, the attaching means is adapted to releasably engage the device to the chair by means of hooking means which engage the upper edge of the back of the chair. This allows the device to be quickly and easily set up and subsequently removed.

[0008] The supporting means is preferably releasably joined to the attaching means. For example, this may be by means of a sliding joint, a snap-fit joint or the like. The use of such a two-part assembly has the additional benefit that the supporting means may be made as a standard item for all chairs, but the attaching means can be varied so as to specifically be adapted to particular chairs to ensure a secure engagement of the device to the chair. Also, the two part assembly allows for easy use of different types of supporting means.

[0009] The attaching means may be adapted to engage more than one supporting means to enable more than one garment to be hung at any one time. Preferably where this is the case, the supporting means are arranged substantially parallel to one another, although alternative arrangements may be used.

[0010] Alternatively, the supporting means may be adapted to receive and support further supporting means.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the attaching means is integral to the supporting means. This may be effected using an adhesive or a single moulded product. Alternatively, the device may be integral to the chair.

[0012] The supporting means is preferably comprises two elongate arms joined at one end adjacent the supporting means.

[0013] Preferably, the device comprises a shielding member extending down the back of the chair to prevent any hanging garments from being caught up and damaged by any mechanisms associated with chair or simply during movement of the feet of the chair.

[0014] The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0015]FIG. 1 shows a garment hanger according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 2 shows an alternative view of the embodiment of FIG. 1; and

[0017]FIG. 3 shows the hanger device of FIGS. 1 and 2 disassembled from the chair and each other.

[0018] An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows a chair 1 having a hanging device 2 attached thereto. FIG. 2 shows the device of FIG. 1 in more detail. As shown in FIG. 2, the hanging device 2 comprises attaching means 3 and supporting means 4.

[0019]FIG. 3 shows the hanging device 2 of FIGS. 1 and 2 in its disassembled state. The supporting means 4 comprises a structure generally common to coat hangers presently available, namely to arms extending from a central portion, the central portion having some form of attaching means for hanging the device 2 and the garment.

[0020] The attaching means 3 comprises a hook 5 for attaching the device to the top of the back of the chair. Preferably, the hook provides for a secure fit of the device 2 to the chair by specifically tailoring the profile of the hook 5 to a particular chair. This prevents the device 2 from slipping or falling off the chair, potentially resulting in damage to the garment.

[0021] After the attaching means 3 has been fitted to a chair 1, the supporting means 4 may be engaged to the attaching means 3, to complete the assembly. Any suitable form of joint may be used such as a sliding or snap-fit joint.

[0022] Although not shown in the Figures, in a preferred embodiment, a shielding member is added in the area 6 indicated in FIG. 1. This prevents garments from becoming trapped in the rotational mechanism or under the wheels of the chair 2.

[0023] The invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. Various modifications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the invention is not therefore limited to this embodiment but should be accorded the widest scope as defined by the claims. In particular, whilst the invention has only been shown in use with a chair, it would be obvious for the skilled man to adapt the attaching means to apply the invention to other fixtures and fittings, namely other articles of furniture, and these are considered to be within the scope of the invention. 

1. A device for hanging garments on a chair, comprising: supporting means for supporting the garment; and attaching means associated with the supporting means for engaging the device to the chair.
 2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attaching means is adapted to releasably engage the device to the chair.
 3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the attaching means comprises hooking means for engaging the upper edge of the back of the chair.
 4. The device as claimed in claims 1 to 3, wherein the supporting means is releasably joined to the attaching means.
 5. The device as claimed in claims 1 to 3, wherein the supporting means slidingly engages the attaching means.
 6. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the supporting means engages the attaching means by means of a snap fit.
 7. The device as claimed in claims 1 to 3, wherein the attaching means is adapted to engage a plurality of supporting means.
 8. The device as claimed in claims 1 to 3, wherein the supporting means is adapted to receive and support further supporting means.
 9. The device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the attaching means is integral to the supporting means.
 10. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is integral to the chair.
 11. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the supporting means comprises two elongate arms joined at one end adjacent the supporting means.
 12. The device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a shielding member extending down the back of the chair. 